Cook — a 22-year veteran of the IC — currently serves as director of mission operations for the National Reconnaissance Office and director of the Office of Space Reconnaissance at the CIA. Before joining the NRO, Cook spearheaded interagency IT infrastructure, data sharing and compliance efforts while based at the CIA.
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"Ray's breadth and depth of managing highly technical programs, his proven leadership and relentless commitment to national security make him an excellent choice to be the next IC CIO," Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Thursday.
Cook will be taking over for former IC CIO Al Tarasiuk, who retired from public service in April after 28 years with the federal government.
Among other responsibilities, Cook will continue Tarasiuk's work on the Intelligence Community IT Enterprise (ICITE) program, a holistic rethinking of the IC's IT architecture, development and procurement methods.
More: DIA's $6B pathway to ICITE
Cook has been named CIA Engineer of the Year twice — in 1999 and again in 2009 — and was recognized as a Director of National Intelligence Fellow in 2010.
"During Ray's long and distinguished career, his duties and accomplishments have cut across all dimensions of information technology," Clapper said. "In addition to his technical expertise, Ray has demonstrated the balanced leadership needed to oversee the IC IT Enterprise, our most significant community initiative."
More: Where JIE and ICITE intersect — and where they diverge
Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.
